This vote was on an amendment by Roger Wicker, R-Miss., that would prohibit Amtrak from receiving funds unless it agreed to allow passengers to carry firearms in checked bags. The amendment was offered to the bill that funds transportation and housing programs in fiscal 2010.

Wicker called the prohibition unfair and said law-abiding American citizens should be able to “exercise their second amendment right in checked baggage.”

Patty Murray, D-Wash., said the amendment is unrealistic because it would prohibit Amtrak from receiving the federal funds it relies on to keep service running for at least six months while the company built a process by which firearms could be securely checked and screened, not to mention purchasing appropriate equipment.

“There is nothing in the underlying appropriations to pay for any of that. So this amendment is going to put a severe burden on them, and if they do not comply, Amtrak will shut down, “Murray said.

By a vote of 68-30, the amendment was adopted. Every Republican present voted for the amendment. Of Democrats present, 27 voted for the amendment and 29 voted against it (including the most progressive members). The end result is that the measure went forward with language prohibiting Amtrak from receiving federal funding unless it allows passengers to carry firearms inside checked baggage.